Man dies after Hilltop shooting; other man says it was self-defense

A man died after he was shot in a car on the Hilltop yesterday evening, and another man who identified himself as the shooter said he acted in self-defense.

Collin Binkley, The Columbus Dispatch

A man died after he was shot in a car on the Hilltop yesterday evening, and another man who identified himself as the shooter said he acted in self-defense.

Columbus police officers responded to N. Hague and Sutton avenues about 6:40 p.m. on reports of a shooting at that intersection.

They found a man who had been shot in the neck. He was taken to Mount Carmel West, where he died around 7:30 p.m.

Detectives still were gathering details yesterday, but gave this account:

A conflict between the two men had started near a home on N. Harris Avenue and continued as both men got into the same car. The car was about a block from that home, on Sutton near Hague, when one man shot the other.

When police arrived, one of the men identified himself as the shooter. He said he was being robbed by the other man and shot in self-defense. Afterward, he placed the gun on a nearby porch and directed police to it.

“We are still in the process of doing the investigation to see if that’s valid or not,” said Sgt. Christ Holzhauser of the Columbus police homicide unit.

Police did not release the names of either man yesterday. The man who said he was the shooter was in custody but had not been charged with a crime late last night. Detectives were interviewing witnesses.